From the Mountain
by wild wolf free17
Summary: Poetry and drabbles based on various depressing myths. anthology
1. Actaeon

**Title**: Actaeon

**Disclaimer**: dinna think the poor man up; dunno own him or the goddess.

**Warnings**: spoilers for the myth, clearly.

**Pairings**: nary a one

**Rating**: PG13

**Wordcount**: 180

**Point** **of** **view**: first

**Notes**: Actaeon was a Greek hunter who saw Artemis bathing. She didn't like it. Phaeton and Arachne also have their own myths.

* * *

Don't worry, love—we know it wasn't your fault.  
_Just like it wasn't Phaeton's._  
But at least you didn't fail the sun; you only failed yourself.  
_And didn't your hounds feed well?_

-

You should have known better than to hunt in her forest, Actaeon.  
You should have known, after all, what becomes of mortals who dare to see the Gods.

-

Goddesses, despite their beauty, are quite timid.  
They feel the need to compensate when women nearly surpass them.  
_Just ask Arachne, dear hunter; that gentle weaver has quite a story to tell._

-

Now—I get off topic.  
You were in the right. You did not know, could not;  
You are a man. You could not help it.  
The Moon Lady is such a gorgeous creature, like the moon itself;  
It was not your fault you felt compelled.  
_And in the end, what does that change?_

-

We know, we who come after.  
We know and we feel for you.  
Poor man, poor hunter; your eyes saw too much.

-

But, at least, your hounds fed well on your flesh.


	2. Bellerophon

**Title**: Bellerophon

**Disclaimer**: I did not create the Greek gods, Bellerophon, or Pegasus.

**Warnings**: spoilers for the myth

**Pairings**: none

**Rating**: PG

**Wordcount**: 150

**Point** **of** **view**: first

_

* * *

_

You tried to tame a moonbeam,

To harness a star.

You tried to grab hold of the ocean

And learned only how to fall.

-

Such a winged beauty, that stallion—

A steed for the gods.

But you are no god, boy.

Do you know now what a fool you were?

-

The family of Olympus is not trustworthy.

They are capricious and care only for themselves.

It may have appeared she wanted to help you,

But for Wisdom it was always a game.

-

Do not accept the aid they give.

That horse was never for you.

You tried to tame a moonbeam

But Selene and her children were always above you.

-

Believe as you will, say what you like,

But I know the truth.

You hobble down the streets, broken for your pride,

And the moonbeam you tried to claim is wheeling across the sky.


	3. Tantalus

**Title**: Tantalus

**Disclaimer**: I did not create Tantalus or the Greek gods.

**Warnings**: spoilers for the myth

**Pairings**: none

**Rating**: PG13

**Wordcount**: 280

**Point** **of** **view**: third

* * *

Ah, so tantalizing, that fruit.

It dangles so provocatively,

Gleaming with light, so beautiful—

And he reaches, reaches, stretches out his starving fingers,

But the branch pulls itself away,

Taking with it that alluring meal.

-

Immortality, for him, poor man,

Means eternal starvation, staring at

The lovely fruit. Immortality,

For that sadistic soul, means

Only unquenched thirst.

-

The water is cool against his skin,

Gently laps around him.

He moves his head, seeking satisfaction

For his thirst, for the ache and burn in his throat,

For the dryness on his tongue.

But every time his lips near the water,

It recedes, lowers beyond his reach.

If he had the tears to spare, he would weep.

-

Tantalus, he is called.

Zeus' son, he walked too tall,

Far too proud. Eating of

Immortality, claiming that which is not his to claim.

Ambrosia on his tongue, memory haunts him here.

In Hades he waits, forever punished for his sick little game.

-

So tantalizing, that fruit he cannot reach.

So tantalizing, the water he cannot drink.

Ever thirsty, eternally starving—

Poor man, son of Zeus, where now is his crown?

-

Unto the ending of the world, this is his existence.

For his little joke, is this punishment too much?

Oh, no, not at all. Carving up his son,

Serving his own flesh and blood at a feast for the gods?

Silly man. Sad, sorry, silly little man.

-

Forever is such a long time.

Eternity, infinite life, starving and parched,

Never sated, never full, never allowed to feed.

The water can be felt but never drunk.

The fruit can be seen but never touched.

How do you savor immortality?


	4. Oedipus Rex

**Title**: Oedipus Rex

**Disclaimer**: not my characters; just for fun.

**Warnings**: spoilers for the myth

**Pairings**: het incest

**Rating**: PG13

**Wordcount**: 320

**Point** **of** **view**: firstish

* * *

Oh, Oedipus, you poor boy, 

cursed from birth with such

a cold, cruel destiny—

Those three sisters wrote this for

you, Oedipus; they knew it would come to this.

-

You thought to save your parents

and instead strode straight, bravely,

to your destiny—you married a queen

and became king, cursed Oedipus.

You murdered a man in the midst of a quarrel—

an old man, weak; and you in the prime

of life. Did it please you, bringing down

the proud? Punishing him for his arrogance?

You became king after killing him, given

a wife and a crown: quite the reward, no?

-

Did something feel wrong before

you learned the truth? Were your dreams full of portents?

Oedipus, sad, sorry boy—no, man—you killed

your father—not the man who raised you,

no, but the man whose blood formed you—

and gave your mother daughters—how

destinies fall! You sought to save your

parents from your curse, sweet child, and

instead made it come true.

-

If only intentions were rewarded,

instead of actions, dear Oedipus—

surely then your life would have been

happier, your ending sweeter.

You learned the truth and gouged out

your lovely, sinning eyes.

You found your mother—the woman

who bore you and bore your children—

beautiful, Oedipus. You looked upon

her and her form pleased you.

She was your wife—

such a sin, Oedipus!

Such a sin: kill your father

and wed your mother—

aye, it is a Greek tragedy.

-

And now you wander the countryside,

only your daughter—your sister—

with you, to aid you and care for you,

to protect you from yourself.

You seek absolution, poor, cursed Oedipus.

But you shall never find it.

You sinned in ignorance,

because you sought to keep your parents safe,

those kind folk who took you in

and raised you as their own.

Your intentions were noble—

but nobility, in the end, means nothing.


	5. like Eve in the Garden

**Title**: like Eve in the Garden

**Disclaimer**: not my characters

**Warnings**: spoilers for a centuries old myth

**Pairings**: Hades/Persephone

**Rating**: PG

**Wordcount**: 160

**Point** **of** **view**: third

**Prompt**: Persephone, fruit of the Underworld

* * *

She is so hungry. She has never experienced hunger before, or the damp, pale air of the death kingdom, or the colorless walls.

Hades told her she would be queen, but she refuses to submit. She cannot escape; the doors are barred and Cerberus growls when she gets close, but Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and will not give in.

Mother is searching for her, she knows. Persephone has felt the Earth's cry and longed to respond, but her sendings don't get through. Too much separates them now.

She is so hungry, but she will not eat until she is across the table from Mother, flowers blooming all over the house. She will not eat until she sees the sun again.

(When the boy comes to her, pomegranate in hand, and offers her one bite to tide her over until Mother arrives, she does not see the glint in his eyes until the juice is on her tongue.)


	6. true love's first kiss

**Title**: true love's first kiss

**Disclaimer**: not my characters

**Warnings**: AU for the myth

**Pairings**: Hades/Persephone

**Rating**: PG

**Wordcount**: 100

**Point of view**: third

**Prompt**: Greek mythology, Hades/Persephone, legends don't tell the whole story

* * *

There is a garden, and that is where they met. They had a standing date every month after: he would sweep her off her feet and carry her away or she would sneak her way into his kingdom. Neither was all that hard, really—she never hid and no one ever tried to get _into_ the underworld.

But her mother misunderstood, and her lover overreacted to her mother's accusations, and Persephone ate far more than _one_ pomegranate, spread out on Hades' bed, nibbling at the fruit from his own hand.

She'd always intended to marry him, anyway.


	7. Summer stopped since you were here

**Title**: Summer stopped since you were here

**Disclaimer**: not my characters; title from Dickinson

**Warnings**: spoilers for Greek mythology; mentions of non-con and incest

**Pairings**: Hades/Persephone, Zeus/Demeter, unrequited Hades/Demeter

**Rating**: PGish

**Wordcount**: 385

**Point of view**: third

**Prompt**: Greek myth, Demeter/Hades, war is over

* * *

_i'll never love you,_she told him once, and she never does.

0o0

She is mother of a cold queen on a cold throne, and sister to the Lord of the Dead. She is the harvest being gathered and blooming flowers, the first breath of spring and the chill of winter rolling in.

She is Demeter, and he is Hades, and he stole her daughter and her daughter's innocence, and it has been eons since they played together, since the lots were cast and their roles set out, since Hades smiled at her and she laughed, dancing with him beneath the stars.

0o0

_you'll come home to me,_he told her once, but she never does.

0o0

Zeus commands they reach a truce. He is their younger brother, their savior, their king. Demeter loves him. Hades, too.

Persephone is released for half a year, and it is not enough. She is no longer the laughing, smiling Spring, flowers blooming in her wake. She has spent time in the Realm of the Dead, as the cold queen on a cold throne.

Demeter tucks her daughter into a warm bed with half a dozen lion cubs. A kiss on the forehead, a caress on her cheek, and Persephone pulls one of the cubs close, buries her face in his fur.

Then Demeter storms into Hades' palace and slaps him across the face, cursing him to never again feel the warmth of Spring.

0o0

Demeter had been a sister first. She is third born, so she has always been a sister. After Zeus, Hestia is her favorite. They have so much in common. Hades courted her, long ago, after Zeus and Hera wed. But Demeter vowed to never marry, and though she presides over marriage—much like Hera—she keeps her vow.

Poseidon gave her horses, and Hades empty promises, but it is Zeus who gives her Persephone, her brightest blossom of all.

And it is Hades who takes Persephone away.

0o0

_i'll never forgive you,_she swore once, and she never does.

0o0

Persephone returns to Hades every autumn. Eventually, she does come to feel affection for him. Eventually, the Realm of the Dead is not so dark, not so cold.

Eventually, as eons pass, Persephone forgives her husband, but she never loves him.

And her mother never again sets foot in the underworld.


	8. starlings and nightingales

**Title**: starlings and nightingales

**Disclaimer**: not my characters

**Warnings**: spoilers for Greek mythology

**Pairings**: mentions of Achilles/Iphigenia, Agamemnon/Clytemnestra

**Rating**: PG

**Wordcount**: 235

**Point of view**: third

**Prompt**: Greek myth, Achilles/Iphigenia, I could have saved you if you had let me

* * *

She never tells anyone, but the Great War, the Ten Years War, the Terrible Defeat of Troy - it all would have gone differently, had she married Achilles.

The greatest hero of their age - of any age - would have survived the war, had she been his bride.

Her family would not have been cursed, had she wed Styx's child. Her father would have been hailed a hero by her mother; her sisters and brother would have celebrated with her, all the victories of her husband, the mighty Achilles.

But her father raised the knife, and the Huntress whisked her away, and now she is a goddess in her own right, preparing others as sacrifices, and soon she will be known by a different name – she will no longer be Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; she will be Hecate, avenger of women.

And when she meets the shade of Achilles, when she stands before him wrapped in starlight and the night sky, when he bows before her and holds out a hand… she will not say, _I could have saved you, mighty warrior, had the gods let me_.

She knows things, courtesy her new Sight. She knows how the war could have gone, perhaps even how it should have gone.

Hecate does not take Achilles' hand. She bestows upon her might-have-been husband a gentle smile and leaves the Underworld, not pausing even for her once-family's cries.


	9. Medea

**Title**: untitled

**Fandom**: Greek mythology

**Disclaimer**: not my character

**Warning**: mentions of character death

**Pairings**: none

**Rating**: PG  
**Wordcount**: 65

**Point****of****view**: third

**Prompt**: Greek mythology, Medea, poisoned crown

**Note**: It's been awhile since I saw anything of Medea that wasn't a mediocre movie, so this is a bit tiny, and possibly completely out of character.

* * *

This world shall be hers, and everything in it. Whether she poisons gowns or crowns, or the very throne - all will kneel before her and feel the bite, the sting, the certainty of her grip around the realm, the sky, the ocean.

First this puny little palace. Then the gods who scorned her, as she takes Olympus and the tempestuous children who think they rule there.


	10. daisies and roses

**Title**: daisies and roses

**Disclaimer**: not my characters

**Warnings**: none

**Pairings**: Hades/Demeter

**Rating**: PG

**Wordcount**: 70

**Point****of****view**: third

**Prompt**: Greek myth, Hades/Demeter, summer days

* * *

When they were young, Hades and Demeter went walking through a meadow.

"Will you be my queen?" Hades asked, handing her a bouquet of daisies and roses.

"No, my love," she said. "I adore the sun too much to live in your realm of night."

Hades gave her a sad smile and the walk continued.

(Persephone vanished from a meadow full of daisies and roses. A part of Demeter knew then.)


	11. earth's cries of anguish almost audible

Title: earth's cries of anguish almost audible

Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Denise Levertov

Warnings: incest?

Pairings: past Demeter/Hades, Hades/Persephone

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 245

Point of view: third

Prompt: Greek mythology, Demeter/Hades, before

* * *

Once, they had been lovers.

Before that, they were friends.

In the beginning, she was his sister and he was her brother, and everything was golden.

Now, she is only a grieving mother, and he is the man who stole her child.

_Oh, dearest,_ he says sorrowfully, _'stole' is such a harsh word_.

She does not listen. She never forgives.

.

Hades had the gentlest hands. The sweetest lips. He made her laugh. Held her in his arms. They walked the world together, Death and Harvest, and she was happy.

She was so happy, then.

.

Persephone comes to love her realm of darkness. She is as the sun, and flowers bloom in Tartarus.

Hades tries to speak to his queen's mother, but Demeter is deaf to him and only greets her daughter, welcoming her back into Spring.

.

Once, they had been lovers. Friends. Brother and sister.

Now, Demeter never speaks his name.

.

Before, all was golden. Now, winter is dark and cold, and she is a mother grieving, and he is a husband whose wife spends half her life away from him – and is glad of it.

For all that Persephone has come to love her realm, she never loves her husband.

.

_Mother_, Persephone asks during the height of summer, _what was he like, when you were young together?_

Demeter smiles sadly. _He was beautiful,_ she says. _The kindest of my brothers._

Persephone gently takes her mother's hand and leads her outside, into the brilliant sun.


	12. a sacrifice of blood and flowers

Title: a sacrifice of blood and flowers

Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Denise Levertov

Warnings: incest, kidnapping

Pairings: Hades/Persephone

Warnings: spoilers for mythology

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 290

Point of view: third

Prompt: Greek myth, Demeter + Persephone, queens

* * *

Let Zeus have the sky and Poseidon the sea - Demeter has the Earth and the people there. Hestia has the home (every home, yes, the hearth and the heart) and Hera the marriage bed and the children. Hades has the dead.

But Demeter – Demeter has the world. She lies down in a field, with a lioness curled at her side, cubs nursing, and a lamb in her arms. Demeter is the harvest; she is life. Without her, her siblings would have nothing.

She laughs as one of the lion cubs bats at the lamb because everything is so _alive_.

.

Demeter only ever has one child of her body. She teaches her daughter everything, shows her the world and the brilliance there. Let Hera have Olympus; the mountain has long grown cold. Let Hestia rest in fireplaces, let Poseidon brood in the deep, let Zeus run from his wife and curse women, if that is his wish –

Demeter is a mother and a queen; where her daughter steps, flowers bloom.

She should have remembered Hades.

.

Persephone sits on the throne of the dead and does not weep. Nor does she smile, or laugh. She never dances.

She calls her husband _lord _and never speaks his name.

Her father, king of the gods, has spoken.

Her mother, queen of the earth, has defied.

She, queen of the dead, holds her head high.

.

Let Zeus have the sky and Poseidon the sea, Hestia the hearth and Hera the marriage bed. Let Hades sulk in his cold realm, barren when Demeter's daughter walks free.

The earth is hers. And without her, the gods' worshipers would starve.

Demeter lies in a field, her daughter curled with her, and flowers bloom all over the world.


	13. fruit from the rotten tree

Title: fruit from the rotten tree shall ever be rotten

Disclaimer: not my characters

Warnings: dub-con, incest

Pairings: Hades/Persephone, unrequited Hades/Demeter

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 50

Point of view: third

Prompt: Greek Myth, Hades/Demeter, stop haunting me

* * *

Persephone has her mother's beauty and her father's temper. Every time she glares and submits (because her father commanded it, the king of them all), Hades takes everything he can.

(She is not her mother. Hades will never again taste or touch Demeter.

He will be content with her daughter.)


	14. sins of the father

Title: sins of the father

Disclaimer: not my characters

Warnings: implied bad things happening to kids

Pairings: Cronus/Rhea; Zeus/Hera

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 185

Point of view: third

Prompt: Greek mythology, Zeus with any combination of Poseidon + Hades + Hera + Hestia + Demeter, Mother Rhea always liked me best

* * *

Though she will never say it aloud, Hestia wonders why Mother never acted to defend her children until Zeus.

Though he will cause tidal waves in his jealousy, Poseidon will never question Mother about the years her children suffered.

Though he will always save a dark corner of his realm for fathers who hurt their children, Hades will not listen to his curiosity about his mother.

Though she will be overprotective and quick to act if anything even looks like it will harm her daughter, Demeter will never demand answers of her own mother.

Though she will torment all of her husband's children she did not bear, Hera will never think it a sister's helpless jealousy instead of the rage of a woman scorned.

Though he is the only of Cronus and Rhea's children to have a fairly normal upbringing – or an upbringing at all – Zeus never thinks of it as luck: it was simply the due of a son of gods. That his siblings did not receive the same is of no concern to him.

He does know he is Mother's favorite, though.


	15. lightning strike

Title: lightning strike

Fandom: Leverage/Greek mythology

Disclaimer: not my characters

Warnings: minor language

Pairings: none

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 155

Point of view: third

Prompt: Leverage, Eliot, "It's a very _particular_ type of [insert storm characteristic here. Lightning? Thunder?]"

* * *

Lightning flashes and Eliot _flinches_. "Fuck," he mutters.

Alec shares a bewildered glance with Sophie but Parker keeps making the celery dance while Nate flips through the TV guide. (And why he's reading paper-copy, Alec doesn't know. He'll worry about that later.)

"Somethin' wrong, Eliot?" Alec asks hesitantly after Sophie commands him with an eyebrow raise.

Eliot _sighs_. "No," he growls. "Just a distinctive lightning bolt, is all."

"A distinctive… lightning… bolt," Sophie repeats.

"Yeah." Eliot slams the bottle of vegetable oil onto the counter. "My daddy'll be by any day now, the fuckin' deadbeat." He scowls at the frying pan of carmlizing onions. "Sophie, don't let Parker outta your sight. Dad's got no self-control and if he touches her, I'll have to kill him again, king of the mountain or not."

Alec shares _another_ glance with Sophie, but this time he doesn't say a thing. He's not touching _that_ with a thousand foot pole.


End file.
